ALBUM REVIEW: Levende I Brønshøj Vandtårn – Solbrud
Live albums are, in this day and age, given significantly less care and attention that studio albums. For every Live at Leeds or No Sleep til Hammersmith that have gone on be much loved additions to a bands catalogue, there’s a plethora of bands that are more than happy to just take the sound desk recording from a particularly big live show and release it as a live album. Denmark’s SOLBRUD known for playing in unique venues and putting on awesome visual spectacles live, were never going to handle a live recording in a slapdash manner. Recorded at Brønshøj Water Tower in Copenhagen, Levende I Brønshøj Vandtårn is not only a good amalgamation of the bands best material, but also a live show that goes to great pain to get the most out of the venue that it is performed in.
Øde Lagt proves to be a fantastic opener, with the acoustics of the venue giving all the instruments a cavernous sound. The excellent, expansive guitars and feral vocals, make for a gargantuan sound, remaining true to the original whilst highlighting subtle musical nuances. The following two tracks, Skygge and Menneske, may, to those unfamiliar with the bands music, come across as a pair of atmospheric instrumental pieces, but are in fact skilful reworkings of two early SOLBRUD songs tracks – Skyggeriget and Menneskeværk from Vemod. Both of these songs isolate motifs from each song that, much like the albums opener, are made all the more monolithic by the sound generated by the Brønshøj Water Tower, showing not only a great awareness of their own material and how to produce the best sound within this distinctive venue. Following this comes Sortedøden, from the band’s second album, Jærtegn, a track that showcases a more chaotic side, with cacophonous guitar work, frenetic drumming and shrill vocals, coupling a visceral black metal intensity with haunting ambience. This version is shorter than the album version by a good four minutes, scaling back the more repetitive moments, giving this a streamlined, rather than abridged, feel, making it more affective without sacrificing any of its appeal.
Klippemennesket again manages to tweak the original song without ruining it, with the low, foreboding electronic elements working well in a live setting, adding a density to the sound that clashes perfectly with the crisper guitars. Much like earlier tracks, it has a massive, amplified sound that lends an almost bombastic depth to proceedings. Bortgang is a faithful rendition, with the slower, brooding music of display having a seismic quality to it. At the end of the song, the audience cheer approvingly for what feels like the first time, cementing this as one of the stand out performances. Sjæleskrig, a new song that is making it’s first appearance during this show, has some great, drawn out guitar work that tempers the black metal in favour of post-metal elements, with reverb drenched guitars and soaring melodies making for a thoroughly monolithic sound. It works exceptionally well here, and will hopefully prove just as impressive on a future studio record. Besat Af Mørke serves as a fast and furious climax, with the stripped down sound eschewing the atmospherics for lean aggression, drastically shifting the focus onto the bands more intense offerings, which, with the acoustics of the structure they are performing in, sounds utterly monstrous.
With Levende I Brønshøj Vandtårn, SOLBRUD have produced something that is certainly a cut above the vast majority of live albums. Not only does it provide a very good mix of material from across their discography, but it also illustrates that SOLBRUD are just as concerned with putting on a memorable show as they are about creating excellent music. From the reworking of two of their more well known tracks, to the brand new track that makes its debut within this set, to the selection of the venue itself, and the use of lighting to heighten the atmosphere for the crowd present. It’s extremely clear that this band knows how to maximise the effect of both their music and the aesthetics attached to it in a way that the overwhelming majority of bands neglect to consider, and they may just have produced the single best live album is several years as a result.
Rating: 9/10
Levende I Brønshøj Vandtårn is out now via Eisenwald.
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